I purchased my Prius around July, 2010. At that time, I generalized the Prius owner as somebody looking for great gas milage, had some desire to lessen one's carbon footprint, tried to understand environmental issues, etc. I generalized the Prius driver as driving conservatively in an effort to maximize the above. We were willing to spend the extra cost of a Prius for this. Now, I see Priuses swerving in and out of traffic, driving very aggressively, driving very fast compared to the flow of traffic, etc., as an every day occurrence. By the way, this is in Los Angeles. So, I'm concluding that the Prius owner might now be your ordinary, every day car owner. I'm giving it more time in order to make a final conclusion. Just wondering whether you all have been seeing this shift in Prius drivers. Mike
Owner Number One) bought a Prius to reduce his (or her, assume both throughout) impact on the world's natural resources. Likely not to drive it enough to ever break even financially. Owner Number Two) bought a Prius to reduce the nation's dependance on foriegn oil and to improve our nation's security. Would rather spend money with Japan than the Middle East. Owner Number Three) bought a Prius to save himself money. Drives enough to recover upfront 'Hybrid tax'. And now your Owner Number Four) I want the Blizzard Pearl one, honey. Has no idea they bought a hybrid. Once Toyota can sell to folks who do not know they have a hybrid, (or what that may mean) we are mainstream.
Sorry, Prius is too well known (good and bad) for this scenario. OK, maybe the occasional clueless soul but that would be very rare in this day in time. Me? I will occasionally put it in PWR mode when driving in fast "crazy" traffic. Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense. :rockon:
good points Jimbo. I had what I think may be some insight into this phenomena. have a neighbor who recently purchased a white 2011. Her first comment to me was.... "I'm lil disappointed that I'm not getting 50mpg". So I asked her if she wanted to discuss some of the reasons but almost immediately she stops me and she says... "but no way am I driving like a little old lady" As with a large segment of peeps.... She's more concerned with what she "perceives" other people would be THINKING ABOUT HER....rather than going after her interest/goals......ala: jumping in with both feet to the style of driving that delivers the goods.
Since her expectation is based upon EPA ratings, point her to http://priuschat.com/forums/other-c...uth-about-epa-city-highway-mpg-estimates.html.
Then there's the new owner who just posted, who complains that he gets only 38 MPG on his 100 mile commute, which he drives through hilly terrain on snow tires at an average speed of 80 MPH.
"Mainstream" might be a good description of this new group of Prius drivers. This is my perception, too. Mike
I was reading an article a few months ago about exactly this. It had to do with other (not the Prius) hybrids that do not get much added MPG versus its gas engine model. Thus, people were apparently buying the hybrid model so that they can say they drive a hybrid as opposed to getting any MPG benefit. Mike
Most Prius owners are probably "hybrids" of the categories you mention. I am a nature-loving, hippie-at-heart. My wife and I needed a car that would (a) get better gas mileage than our 2001 VW Beetle (inherited from mother....and the 1996 GTI that the Prius replaced) and (b) have enough room for our daughter, camping gear, and growing family. On top of all that, I drive at least 64 miles a day commuting and often more (the "more" I am reimbursed for). We figured we'd put 20,000 miles/year on a new car. Fuel efficient commuter and family wagon? Our short list got pretty short. Is the Prius perfect? Hell no! (and I've only owned it for 3 weeks). Ryan
I was originally reluctant to consider a Prius back in late 2003. The company where I worked had moved and my wife wanted me to get a more fuel efficient vehicle. There was an engineer at work who had a Gen I and would talk for quite a while on the engineering advancements in that car. Cool, but that model was pretty boring from a style aspect. Especially when compared to the Honda Insight --- that car looked to me to exude technology. When the Gen II came out in 2004 the body style got my attention --- at least it wasn't as vanilla as the Gen I. But what really got me was all of the extra techno gizmos that were available. HID headlights, keyless entry, remote start, talking nav, etc., all for under 25 grand. Fuel economy really didn't kick in with me until I bought that car and started playing the "video game" of trying to better my mpg "score". And soon I will be a repeat Prius owner, but still pretty far from the ordinary car driver, but perhaps closer to the tree hugger. :focus:
With me, I wanted something kind of high tech. But the main reason I wanted a prius was to get better gas mileage. However, If I would have known 6 days ago what I know now, I would have looked harder for a GenII in my budget instead of a GenI. If I couldn't do that, then I would have gotten a regular vehicle such as an Echo or like wise so I don't have to work so hard to get the 40mpg average I do get with my 02 prius.
I like the video game aspect of trying to improve my mileage. From what I am reading the Prius C takes it to a new level.
Good point, Sabby. I think Toyota has very intelligently adapted their internal driving mechanics this time around to suit and attract new drivers just as they originally adapted their external specifications. With more engaging displays regarding one's driving habits, many more young drivers will be drawn in, I predict.
So that was you? I live 1 block from the Santa Monica city line, so I could very easily have seen you driving around (but something tells me you aren't one of the people I was describing). By the way, did you know that the Santa Monica Toyota dealership sells the most Priuses in the nation? I didn't buy mine there, but the dealership in Irvine told me that. Mike
Didn't buy mine there either. I made 3 dealerships an offer, Santa Monica dithered and lost to Miller in Culver City. It's the old you snooze you lose.
I have a F-250 CrewCab Diesel, F-150 SuperCrew, and the wife drives a Lincoln Navigator. I'm used to large (and powerful) vehicles. I've had my Prius for ~ 2 weeks now and love it. Now my wife wants to trade in her Navigator for a V.
I drove VW TDIs, but after doing the research, found that the Prius gives me better mileage and lower maintenance costs, so I traded the VW in.
